A Cycling Blog for the Rest of Us

Tag Archives: new bike

This year hasn’t seen the best of starts for TWT. Blogging aside, my bike has suffered from two breakdowns, both involving the derailleur, and last month my cycling plans were seriously hampered after my rear wheel was stolen. This then wasn’t replaced properly by my local bike shop and caused a further problem when I was in the middle of a ride on the Isle of Wight, then another when I was visiting the Cyclopark in Gravesend. All in all, its been a very stuttering start. After February’s floods, which affected the area where I live very badly, the weather hasn’t improved much and has alternated between snow (in March) to perennial downpour. It seems that every time I’ve managed to find time for a proper ride, the weather has conspired against me.

The View Outside TWTs House in February

With Mrs TWT due to give birth next month and with a two year old running around, I’m finding less time to devote to cycling so am planning some changes to my routine. The only real time I’m getting to ride is on my way to work, so I’m looking to change where I’m based, maybe with a view towards being able to cycle all the way in. At the moment, I live 30 miles from where I work – which is fine one-way, but I’m not sure I fancy working shifts and then cycling for 60 miles. I’ve also applied for a further Ride 2 Work certificate so I can get that road bike I was talking about at Christmas. I’ve settled on a Cannondale Synapse 5 after test-riding it at Evans’ Gatwick store and it was beautiful. It’s slightly over the certificate value maximum of £1000, but the difference is worth it. I’ve never ridden a road bike before that test run and have to say that it was an awesome experience. The bike was effortlessly smooth to ride, responsive to handle and comfortable for a beginner like me. More on that when it arrives.